Review: Deschutes Brewery Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale

With 75 IBUs, Hop in the Dark, part of the semi-experimental Bond Street Series from Deschutes, isn’t actually obscenely bitter — nor is it even Deschutes’ most bitter beer — but the near-black color indicated by the name perhaps fools the mind into thinking this is a more powerful brew than it really is.

Essentially an India Pale Ale with roasted malt added to “smooth the edges,” Hop in the Dark actually comes across as rougher and less polished than most of the brewery’s other concoctions despite the best of intentions. The coffee notes just don’t play all that well with the more traditional IPA notes, leaving us with an experience which, while curious and not unpleasant, is a bit muddy — which is funny, because that’s how it looks, too.